The end is the beginning
by Alinys
Summary: When May's home town is burned to the ground by a band of pillaging goblins she is saved by a strange Half-Elven man. They decide to travel together but get to face many obstacles. Will their newly bloomed love for each other make it through their racial differences? Rated M for smut and future violence. Written at work in quiet times so updates will not be on set times. R&R please
1. Chapter 1

The warm June morning sun shone thru the window onto her face. This pleasant feeling along with the songs of the birds outside woke her up.  
May slowly opened her eyes and looked around the room she was in.  
'What the heck happened again last night?' she thought to herself. Slowly turning herself around she noticed there was someone next to her. Next to her was Bo, the blacksmith's son, still fast asleep.  
His short unruly black hair was even more messy than usual. 'Too bad my father won't approve him as my husband someday' .  
May looked around again and saw she was in the backroom of the smithy. 'Goddamnit' she quietly cursed to herself. 'This is the last time I'm drinking, ever'.  
She got up as quiet as possible to collect her belongings, get dressed and get the hell out of there unseen.  
As the Mayors daughter she would most likely get grounded if she got caught. 'If I get caught' she thought to herself as she grinned.  
May crawled out the window that was in the room leaving Bo by himself. 'He'll understand why I left' flashed thru her mind.

Once outside she had to sneak around a few buildings to get to her own house. Her room was on the first floor. Climbing up there was something she was used to do. She knew exactly where to put her feet, which wooden panel to grab and how to open the window from the outside.  
She had one foot inside her room when she heard her father's voice. 'Good morning May, where exactly have you been last night? You better not be been out drinking and whatnot with that apprentice blacksmith. You we're supposed to be here last night for dinner. The Quali family is here with their eldest son. You already knew you were getting married to him 10 years ago!'  
Before her father could go on with his tirade May decided to speak up. 'Father, I know that! I just have no intention of marrying that guy. I don't know him and I don't love him. Arranged marriages are for royalty, not for me.'  
'You are no daughter of mine!' her father snarled at her. 'If you have no intention on doing what I wish of you I will bid you are farewell. You have until nightfall to leave the house.' With those words he left her room and slammed the door behind him.

Angry as she was May started packing her bags. Tears rolling down her cheeks while she went thru her possessions, debating what to take with her and what not.  
Not wanting to face her father she left the house thru her bedroom window again. The town she lived in was now bustling with people selling their wares on the morning market.  
The town square was lovely looking with several trees planted around it. In the middle of the square was a water well. Around the well where there was no path were flowerbeds in pink, purples, whites and blues.  
At the edge of the square were several businesses, All build from sturdy wooden panels, like an inn, the butcher, an alchemist for various potions and medicine. Next to that was the fletcher and the tanner. Next to the tanner was the blacksmith, the very same blacksmith where she had spent the night, the very same blacksmith was the reason she was now excluded from her family. Even tho her family only consisted of her father and herself it was still family.  
May was deep in thought when she suddenly came to an abrupt halt and landed on her behind, just missing a a huge cow's pie. 'Great!, as if my day could be any worse!' She said with a bitter tone in her voice.  
'I am sorry ma'am, I did not see you.' She heard a male voice say. The voice didn't sound familiar so she looked up to where the sound came from.  
May saw a man that looked human but then again he did not. His eyes were almond shaped and had a light hazel color to them. He had shoulder length light brown hair and was well built. 'He's cute' she thought.  
'Ma'am?' She snapped out of staring at him and grabbed the hand he offered her when he spoke to her again. Whilst he was hoisting he back to her feet he kept babbling on about being sorry for knocking her over and being such an idiot for not looking where he was going.  
'Oh, don't worry about it' May said. 'I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I had a bad morning.'  
'Tell me about it' the male muttered under his breath. He then looked at her and asked 'are you alright? Not hurt?'  
'I'm fine, not hurt, thank you, goodbye'. She then turned on her heels and started walking towards the smithy. She wanted to tell Bo what had happened and how to go on from now.

Before May got to the smith's workshop she heard a ruckus behind her on the square. She stopped walking and turned around.  
The first thing she saw was villagers running her way, dropping what they were holding, obviously running from something, or someone.  
When she could finally see what was happening her eyes went wide in horror. The sight before her was like something from a nightmare.  
There was at least a dozen goblins running into town. They cut down everyone in their way. Throwing torches into open windows setting houses on fire.  
May stood there, unable to avert her gaze, unable to turn around and walk away. She saw the alchemist's wife get cut down brutally by one of the goblins. She didn't even have time to scream before she fell to the ground in a bloody heap.  
The goblin suddenly looked to her, on his face an evil grin. He started walking towards her, short sword in hand.  
When the goblin was only a few steps away she was yanked back by the collar of her leather doublet.  
'Do you have a deathwish or something, lady?!' It was the strange man from a few minutes back.  
He kept pulling her back by her collar until they got the woods close to town.  
'Can you let go of me now?!'  
'Not if you want to live'  
'I have to get back there! There are people that need help!'  
'There is no way in hell you alone can help your friends from those brutes ma' am'  
'Why don't you help me then? And stop calling me ma'am!'  
'No, I'm not helping you by going back there. I can help you escape from here. Your choice missy'  
May stood there, torn between helping her friends, specifically Bo, and most likely dieing whilst trying or going with the strange looking 'human' and living.  
While she was thinking 2 goblins burst thru the tree line.  
'Now or never missy!'  
This is the point of no return she thought to herself. 'Lead the way!'  
She had no choice but to trust this man now.

They ran thru the forest trying to get deeper in it, hoping the goblins would stop perusing them.  
Soon they got to a part with higher leaf density. The man pulled May down into a crouching position and told to her to be quiet.  
They could hear the 2 goblins growl and sniff. They were trying to pinpoint their position.  
When they got closer to the pair hiding from them May and the man moved backwards slowly and as silent as possible.  
Luckily for them they heard a howl coming from far away, probably the town, the 2 goblins looked at each other and bolted back to where they came from.  
They stayed in the crouching position a while longer. When May was sure the 2 fiends were gone she let out an audible sigh.  
'Damn, that was close. What the hell is going on anyways?!' she said more to herself then her savior.  
'I should get back there later today, see if I can help the villagers. Those things should be gone by then right?'  
'I'm quite sure that's not a good idea missy.'  
'Why not! And stop calling me missy!'  
'Because your village is swarming with goblins, they will probably kill everyone in sight, burn down all the houses and plunder everything. And I call you missy because I have no clue what your name is.'

May sat down again, defeated. Tears slowly filling her eyes. 'I never got to tell my father that I do love him. I left this morning after we had a fight. I was about to leave town for a while. I was on my way to the blacksmith to tell my friend I was leaving. I never ment for this to happen.'  
'I'm sorry to hear that mis…'  
Before he could finish his sentence she said thru her tears.  
'My name is May, you can call me May'  
'I'm sorry to hear that May. But we have to keep moving away from the village if we want to be safe. My name is Tallis by the way'

He held out his hand for her to shake. She grabbed it saying 'Hello Tallis, nice to meet you'


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

May and Tallis continued thru the dense forest to get as far away from her hometown as possible.  
'So, Tallis…. Where exactly are we going?'  
'I don't know yet. I lost all my belongings in town and I doubt my elders will let me come back without a profit or the goods I brought with me to sell'

'Your elders?' May asked.  
'I'm from an elven tribe. My elders let me go to various towns and cities to sell or trade our wares.'  
'Are you the only one that sells those goods?'  
'I am.'  
'And is there a reason for that?'  
'There is'  
'And that reason is….? if I may ask?'  
Tallis let out a sigh. 'Do you ever stop talking or asking questions?'  
'When I'm asleep' May answered with a grin on her face. 'But right now I'm scared for what happened to my friends, so I'm trying to keep myself distracted' Her face turned sad again as that last sentence fell from her lips.

'it's because I'm a Half-Elf. My mother had a human man as her partner. This was not accepted by the elders. They wanted her to take someone from the tribe as her mate'.

'Sounds like my life'. May answered  
'My father wants me to marry some rich guy's son from the city of Silverbank. Greedy bastard was only doing it for the money he'll get out of it. I don't want to be nobility, sounds so boring. I want to be free and adventures. Guess I got what I wished for… '

They both fell silent as they would keep on going through the forest.  
'we should find a place to rest, it's getting dark soon'. Tallis spoke softly as if not to disturb the animals living in the forest.  
'We should, my feet are getting sore'.

The two traveling companions soon found a clearing in the forest near a stream of fresh water.  
'I'll go find some wood for a fire.' Tallis said. 'Since we don't have a tent with us we should be keeping ourselves warm'.  
'I have a bedroll with me. And a blanket. We can share if you want'  
May looked at Tallis who nodded at her in response. 'I thought I'd be sleeping in the open air anyways after today so I packed a few handy things'.  
'Sharing is the least I can do for man that saved my life. I have some food with me aswel'.  
As soon as she mentioned food Tallis' stomach growled in protest.  
'Here.' May passed Tallis a piece of bread, a chunk of cheese and her waterskin.

They sat down on a fallen tree to enjoy their simple dinner. As they were eating Tallis got lost in his thoughts, thoughts of the young woman next to him.  
She was pretty. Long red hair, green-grey eyes, freckles across her small pert nose. She wasn't very tall, around 160cm and as far as he could see her physique was athlethic but there was no denial in the fact that she was a woman. 'I wonder what skills she has when in a fight. She didn't seem to get very tired from the running we did earlier.'  
'Arghh….. stop thinking about her like that Tallis. She just lost her family, her home and most likely her partner'  
'Tallis?... Earth to Tallis' He suddenly heard from his side. She was looking right at him with a slightly confused look on her face'  
He had to look away away to make sure she didn't see the blush on his cheeks.  
'Should we gather some more wood to keep the fire burning through the night?' She asked him.  
'Yes, we should. It can be quite cold in these woods during nighttime'

As soon as the sun set May found out her companion wasn't joking about it 'being quite cold'.  
They sat next to each other on her bedroll with their backs against the fallen tree in front of the fire they made. She was so happy she didn't forget the pack a flint and tinder that morning.  
She was shivering and her teeth were clattering. Tallis was kind enough to let her have the full blanket but she was still cold.  
So cold that she didn't realize she was moving closer to the half-elf next to her. Without looking at each other or saying a word he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.  
Only then did she look at him to give him a faint smile and put her head against his chest. She fell asleep a few moments after that.

The next morning she woke up from the sounds of birds and the wind gently going through the trees. Their fire went out somewhere in early morning. The cinders were still warm. When she looked up she noticed she was in the arms of the sleeping man next to her and remembered how cold she was the evening before. 'He must have done this to keep me warm'.

Slowly getting up, trying not the wake up the half-elf, she set out to find something to eat and drink.  
The stream nearby provided enough to drink. There was a small brush with wild strawberries near their campsite.  
May refilled her waterskin and picked as many berries as she could find.  
Back at their small camp Tallis was still asleep so she decided to freshen up a bit. She walked a bit further away and started to undress. She sat down in the water.  
'Cooooldd…' she hissed to herself.

When Tallis woke up he noticed May was missing. He didn't think too much of it when he saw the strawberries in a wooden bowl near the not extinguished fire.  
When she didn't return after five to ten minutes he decided it was time to go look for her before something bad would happen.  
After a five minute walk upstream he froze in his steps. 'She is bathing in the stream'. His mind went in overdrive.  
Suddenly she got up and turned. He had no choice but to stand there and stare.  
Her long red hair was sticking to her feminine frame, her nipples were hard, most likely to the cold water of the stream. Her breasts shone in the morning sunlight and he just couldn't look away. When he did look at her face her eyes started at him in shock. She then covered herself quickly with her arms and turned away from the blushing man.

'I'm sorry' he stammerd. 'I didn't mean to look at you, It's just that you weren't in the camp and I thought something bad had happen. So I came looking for you.'

'Thank you for your concern but could you please leave again. I'll be back at the camp in a bit'.  
'I'm so sorry May' He kept repeating as he walked away.

When she returned Tallis had already packed their belongings again. 'We should get moving again' he said without looking at her.  
'Tallis, don't worry about it. You can just repay me by showing me your goods soon'.  
'WHAT!' Tallis practicly yelled.  
May had to laugh at that 'I am joking Tallis. Don't take everything I say too seriously'.  
He looked at her when she said that and she winked him 'Or maybe I'm not joking'.

She then walked away from him. After a few steps she looked over her shoulder. 'You coming or not?'  
When he caught up to her she asked him where they were going.  
'It'll be around two more days of walking to the next town if I'm right'

The rest of the day was filled with talking about why exactly she was leaving her hometown and what her relationship to Bo was. Turned out they weren't all too serious. In a weird way Tallis was happy about that but he was still sad that she probably lost a friend, her best friend.

After they stopped for a quick bit to eat around noon she started to ask if he had lady friend somewhere.  
They had supper again on the rations she packed when she left her home. After that they set up another small camp for the night.  
Like the night before it was cold outside. This time May shared the blanket with Tallis but they did sit close to each other to keep warm again.

The night and next morning came and went without any events.  
When the two travel companions went on their way again May had to ask. 'Where exactly are we going again?'  
'First we will go to Coldcreek so I can get a few new supplies. Then I can make my way home again. You can ask there if anyone knows what happen to your town. See if there's any survivors. Maybe meet someone you know.  
'Not that I want you to leave though'. He mumbled after that. More to himself than her.  
'I'm not sure I'll meet anyone there I know… or like well enough to spend time with. I wasn't miss popular back home. I tried to keep away from people as much as possible. Why do you think I was sneaking around when I bumped into you two days ago?'  
'I don't know, maybe you did see me and bumped into me deliberately.' He said with a wink and a mischievous grin on his face .

This made her giggle, her face got a darker shade and she was getting hot.  
'You're a tease!' she said while she mock hit him in the shoulder.  
Their banter kept going for while until they both noticed the forest was losing it's density.  
'Seems like we're approaching the real world again' May said with a sad sounding voice. 'It was quite nice to not have duties and just talk to you for these two days. Even if the event that brought us together was terrible.'  
Tallis nodded in agreement.

When they approached the edge of the forest he did the boldest thing he had ever done.  
He grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him so she spun around, facing him. He then kissed her on the lips. It was a chaste kiss, over before it even started. She tasted like the honey they had put on their bread for lunch.  
When he pulled away to look at her he saw her eyes were closed. She then opened them slowly.  
'What did I do so good to make you want to kiss me like that?' she asked.  
'Just being you I guess. I don't really know but there's something about you that I like. Could be your no-nonsense attitude or the way that you are so strong after what happened.'  
'May, I don't want you to leave' He said while he pulled her into a hug which she accepted.  
'I don't plan on leaving just yet, don't worry about that. You can't get rid of me that easy. We should find a town to buy supplies, find an inn to sleep and try to figure out where we'll go from now on. I'm very much in the mood for an adventure' She said with a smile on her face.  
'this is the first time in years I actually feel alive. Thank you for saving my life Tallis'.

After they left the forest they soon found the road that led to the closest town, Coldcreek. It was a small village much like May's hometown.  
They first went to the inn so make sure they had a place to sleep and so they could leave their belongings in the room.  
After they secured a room, the last one, they made their way into town to get supplies.  
A map, rope, a few torches and weapons. Tallis chose a longbow. Good to hunt small game with so they had meat to eat whilst traveling.  
May went for a light rapier. She had trained with them since she was a little girl.  
'Too bad we don't have the coin to buy a horse' Tallis said with a pout.  
'don't look so sad, this was our time traveling together will be longer' The short redhead next to him exclaimed.  
'That's true', he then said with a big smile on his face.

When it started getting late they retreated to the inn, The Stuffed Duck. It was crowded but not so bad they couldn't walk around. They got a table and ordered the inn's specialty for dinner, a stuffed duck.  
While eating they talked about where to go after they would leave Coldcreek.

'Don't you have a place where you always wanted to go as a kid?' Tallis asked May when they couldn't think of a place to travel to.  
'I've never been to Silverbrook and I heard The Free Isles are nice this time of year' She said in between bites of food.  
'It's settled then. We're going to Silverbrook first and take a boat to the Free Isles after you are ready to leave'  
She gave him the biggest genuine smile she could and squeezed his hand under the table.  
'Thank you, for everything' She then leaned over to him and kissed him like he kissed her earlier that day.

They stayed in the inn until it got dark. They shared a few goblets with other patrons in the establishment. Unfortunately no one had any information about the goblin attack.  
When most people had went home or to their rooms May and Tallis decided to go upstairs as well.  
Their room was cozy, the innkeeper lit a few candles for light so they wouldn't bump into anything.  
To their surprise the room had a double bed instead of two singles.  
'I can sleep on the floor if you like. I can use my new bedroll' Tallis had said.  
'Why?' May asked. 'We practically slept in each other's arms for the past two nights. I think I can handle sharing a bed with you for one night.'  
'Are you sure?'. 'Yes Tallis, I am. Now get in before I change my mind'.

After they both got settled in the big soft bed, backs to each other, Tallis decided for the second time that day it was time to be bold. It went better than expected this morning .  
He turned around and slowly wrapped his arm around her waist. She didn't protest so he scooted closer to her. Again, no protesting sounds.  
When he was lying against her he put his nose into her hair and inhaled. She smelled like flowers and red wine.  
When he was sure she was sleeping he placed a kiss on her neck.  
'Sleep well, beautiful lady' he murmured and then fell asleep shortly after that.

When she woke up the next morning she noticed his warm body against her back. She slowly turned around so she could face him. She watched his sleep for about ten minutes when he woke up.  
'good morning' She smiled at him.  
'hey you' he replied.  
She then pulled him closer and kissed him. This time she didn't pull back after a few seconds and let the kiss linger quite a while longer.  
'This is a good way to wake up' he said. 'You should do this every morning'. He pulled her in for another kiss.  
'Depends on how nice you are to me' she managed to say while he kept assaulting her lips with his.  
'I can be very nice, trust me'.  
'Oh, really now' She suddenly turned him onto his back and straddled his hips.  
They sudden movement startled him slightly and the sensation of her being on top of him like that made a soft but audible moan roll of his lips.  
He looked her right in her eyes, his brown ones staring into her big grey-green eyes. His hand went to her neck and pulled her face back to his for another kiss.  
This kiss turned into a passionate heated struggle of tongues quickly. His hand moved from her neck to her lower back and then to her butt cheek. She gasped when he squeezed her there but she didn't break the kiss.

His hand then moved under her shirt, stroking her bare back. Her hands were in his hair, unintentionally massaging his scalp.  
After a while he moved his hand to the front. He looked at her as if he was asking for permission to touch her. Instead of giving him permission she moved her hand onto his and moved his hand to her breast.  
They then broke their kiss to fill their lungs with air. She sat up and moved her hands to the hem of shirt. Before she could pull it up Tallis asked 'Are you sure you want this? You don't have to if you don't'.

She just pulled her shirt over her head to reveal her breasts. They were the perfect size to Tallis. Just over a hand full.  
He sat up with her still on his lap and kissed her again. Their tongues fighting for dominance. They had to break apart when he also took his shirt off.  
May got a cheeky grin on her face when she saw his well-formed torso.  
'I'm defiantly not going to complain if I get to see this every day'.

At that moment he took the chance to flip them over so she was on her back on the soft bed. He started to put a trail of kisses down from her neck to her left breast. He sucked on her already pert nipple before moving to the right one.  
He knew he was doing something right when he heard her moan and arch her back so her breasts came up to meet his mouth.

He then continued further down over her stomach to the edge of her sleeping pants. He pulled them down in one swift movement and tossed them aside. He then kissed, licked and nipped at the insides of her thighs. This made her moan again and it resulted in her hand buried in his hair again.  
'Tallis…..don't stop' she moaned softly.  
He moved up again, kissing her stomach, her breasts and her neck. He then moved off of her and lay at her side. His hand caressed her while their mouths found each other again.

After a while he noticed his pants were getting a bit too tight to be comfortable. He started to fumble with his free hand but that didn't go as planned. May noticed what he was doing and helped him out of his pants. These were also thrown on the floor.  
They went back to where they left stopped. Tallis' hand were all over her body except the one spot where she wanted him to touch her.  
'Please. Stop teasing me. Touch me' she breathed into his ear.  
'All in good time, love' . was his reply.

He kept kissing and touching her until she was panting and sweaty. He then decided it was time and he touched her right where she wanted.  
She nearly screamed out his name when she felt his fingers attack her core. She was wet and very ready for him. He easily penetrated her with two fingers. He started sliding his fingers in and out of her while his thumb rubbed over the small bundle of nerves.  
She grabbed him by his neck and slammed her lips against his. Her free hand moved over his abs to his hardened member. She wrapped her slender fingers around it and started pumping at the same pace he was sliding his fingers in and out of her.  
Now it was his time to moan her name. She grinned when she heard it and seductively whispered into his ear: 'Tallis, I want you…Please take me'  
She didn't have to tell him twice.

He moved on top of her again and guided his hard cock to her entrance. She moaned loudly when he entered her. She wrapped her legs around him and started to move with his trusts, meeting him halfway.  
He knew he wasn't going to last long. Luckily for him he noticed she was close as well.  
Tallis sped up as the panting young woman below him started to moan louder with each thrust.  
When he was about to explode he pulled himself out of her and splattered his seed over her stomach and breasts.  
As he did this May too reached her peak. He let himself fall down back on the bed beside her.

'Sorry about the mess' He said after he caught his breath. 'I don't think it's a good idea to get you pregnant'.  
'I don't mind if it's a bit messy' she replied with a sly grin on her face.

Tallis got up from the bed and walked to the table in the room. It had a basin of water on it and a few washcloths. He took one and wetted it in the basin. When most water was squeezed out of it he walked back to the bed and started cleaning her.

After both of them cleaned up and got dressed they went downstairs to pay the innkeeper for the night.  
He laughed loudly at them when he took their money 'You two sure had fun this morning, everyone in here could hear you, loud and clear.'  
May blushed a radient shade of red and snapped back at the innkeep 'at least I got some action, unlike you'.  
The man was on the heavy side and was hitting on every woman in the inn the evening before. He got rejected by every one of them. He also tried to grope several female patrons which resulted in him getting slapped in the face, multiple times.

She stormed out after she paid. Tallis just shrugged at the innkeeper and followed May outside.  
They left in the direction of Silverbrook with their new supplies.


	3. Chapter 3

Silverbrook was about seven days travel on foot.  
'We'll be passing through a few towns on the way. Maybe we can do some work there to earn some money to buy a horse'. Tallis said.  
'I'd rather do other things while we are in towns'. May answered, waggling her eyebrows.  
'You're a needy young lady , aren't you'. Tallis had to laugh whilst she said that.

The rest of the day was filled with playful banter, a few nice chats with passing travelers and further not many eventful sights. Just the road and each others company.

That evening they set up camp near the road before it got too dark to keep going. It wasn't as cold as it was in the forest but still a bit chilly.  
A campfire was made on which they roasted a rabbit Tallis managed to shoot with his newly bought bow.  
After dinner Tallis sat with his back against a tree while May rested her head in his lap. She was happily chatting along about the stars she saw above them when he suddenly urged her to be quiet.

'May, sshh…..I hear something'  
'What is it?' She replied while sitting up. They both heard rustling in the brushes behind them.  
Not know what it would be May reached for her rapier and Tallis grabbed hold of his bow.  
At first he thought it was a doe or another kind of animal but much to their shock a rugged looking man came leaping out of a big brush in front of them.  
'Highwaymen' He said through clenched teeth.  
After the first one there came another from hiding and another pair came from the other side.  
They surrounded the duo and there was nowhere to hide.

'Well, well, well… what do we have here' The biggest, most likely their leader, said.  
'What do you want from us? We have nothing to offer you. We are just two people traveling.' Tallis said bitterly.  
'There's always something hiding on the bottom of rucksacks' The big man replied. His eyes gleaming in the light of the campfire.  
'Now then, show us what you got. I'd hate to resort to violence to get what I want' The tone was mocking. Tallis and May both knew this could get dirty fast.  
'But first, drop your weapons. There's no need for those. I promise you can have them back after we leave you two alone again.'

'I seriously have nothing to offer you' May said. 'I left my hometown a few days ago in a rush because it was under attack by goblins. You can check that in the town that's a day's walking to north.'  
'The man next to me saved me from dying there. His belongings are still there. You are very welcome to go there and check. Oh… and while you're at it, check for survivors'. The venom is her voice was unmistakably there.

'My my, such spirit in the lady here. How about we check your bag first.'  
The man reached for her rucksack but she stopped him  
'tsk tsk' he clicked his tongue. 'You are a bad girl, just have over the bag and no one gets hurt'  
'NO!' She yelled. 'You have no right of snooping around my belon….'  
She got cut off as the man backhanded her in her face. The force of the blow sending her to the ground.  
'You son of a bitch! Leave her alone!' Tallis stood himself in between the man and May.

'Hand over both of your bags, now.' The bandit's voice was now threatening.  
Tallis didn't want them to get more hurt than now. He grabbed both bags and dropped them on the floor in front of the bandids. 'Here, take it and leave. You got what you wanted now leave us alone.'

The leader then nodded at his three companions and they moved forward towards the bags. One of them did take them of the floor but the other two went straight for Tallis. They grabbed his arms and held them tightly behind his back.  
'You should teach your bitch to listen better' Tallis felt the air rush from his lungs as he was hit hard in his stomach. 'If she just handed over the bag nothing of this would have happen. Now I have to punish you though.'  
'STOP IT!' Came as a sudden plea from behind them. One of them men holding Tallis gave the arm of the elf to his partner and kicked May in her ribs so she went down again. 'Shut up, little bitch!' He grabbed Tallis' arm again from his partner in crime as soon as he saw the female wasn't getting back up.  
The big man kept hitting the defenseless Half-Elf until he hung limp in the arms of the two other men.

'Seems like this did the trick for them, let's get out of here.' He gave one last kick to Tallis' ribs before he walked away with both their bags with them.

May made sure the four men were well out of sight before she moved again. She sat up and hissed when she noticed her ribs were really sore. She quickly ran her hands over her ribs to check if any of them were broken.  
'pfew, just bruised' she thought to herself. She then moved to Tallis as fast as she could on her hands and knees, Avoiding getting up.  
'Tallis, can you hear me?  
No reply  
'Tallis' She said louder this time.  
He was lying on his side, facing away from her, his arms protecting his ribs and stomach.  
She gently shook his shoulder and heard a soft whimper.  
'Tallis, can you hear me?' she repeated.  
This time he did respond to her.  
'Yeah, I can hear you. I could hear you the first time. I don't know why I didn't reply.  
'That's ok but right now we need to make sure your wounds aren't too severe. Can you move your arms away from your stomach for me?'  
He moved his arms for her so she could check him. He hissed at every light touch she made to his body.  
After long minutes of exploring she let out a relieved sound.  
'Nothing is broken but you'll be sore for a while. Your left eye will probably be shut for a few days and be nice and purple after that'.  
He then took a good look at her face and touched her bottom lip. 'you're hurt too'  
'Just like you, I'll live' She gave him a genuine smile.

'If you want I can track those bastards so we can get our stuff back. ' he said after a while.  
She gave him a stern look. 'No. We are not putting out lives at stake for those stupid bags.'  
She then lowered her voice, making sure no one around them would hear her. 'I still have my gold pouch. They didn't search us, idiots.'  
'We should get going before they decide to come back.'

Both of them got up slowly trying not to hurt themselves and started walking further down the road to Silverbrook. Traveling was going to be a lot slower for a couple of days.

After three days they passed by a big lake that was at the base of mountains to the south. The area was lush with different kinds of trees, brushes and flowerbeds. The lake itself was as clear as a mirror and the breeze coming from its direction cooled the warm June air.  
even though the day wasn't half way over yet may and Tallis decided they would stop and rest here. They could bathe, wash their dirty clothes and get enough to drink and eat.  
'You should teach me how to shoot a bow and arrow'. May said. 'That way I could hunt small game for food aswel.'  
'Might be a smart idea. Not just for hunting game though. But for now, let me catch something and I'll teach you after we have eaten.'  
May nodded in agreement and started to build a fire. While Tallis was trying to shoot a pheasant or a rabbit she was looking for clams at the nearby rocks in the lake.

During their lunch they had decided to build a small shelter where they could sleep. It would make them harder to spot for other travelers. They finished their shelter just before the sun started to hide behind the mountains.

'Ppftt… I feel icky and sweaty and …' May smelled her arm ' And I stink. Time to take a bath.'  
'Good idea. Can't say I smell like roses myself.'  
They both stripped out of their clothes in a slower pace than they would usually have due to their bruisings.  
May looked at Tallis' naked torso and saw the angry purple marks around his ribs.  
She walked over to him and gently brushed her hand over them. When she did this he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into a hug.  
'Don't worry about those'. he said. 'they hurt less and less each day that passes.'  
He kissed her on top of her hair and pulled her towards the water.  
The water felt cool but not too cold and May waded herself slowly to a deeper part of the lake so she could rinse out her hair. Tallis did the same, washing out sweat, leaves and dirt.  
When he came back up from the water he didn't see May anymore. He was starting to look for her when he felt something brush past his legs. He turned around immediately when he did that he felt something pinch his buttcheek. May broke the surface of the water laughing hysterically.  
'I could see your face from down the water when I first brushed passed you. The look of utter disgust and terror'. Her laughing became even harder.

Tallis picked her up with easy and just threw in the water a bit further away.  
She came up again, a big smile still plastered on her face.  
When she rubbed the water from her eyes she saw he was also smiling. She swam back to him and he took her in his arms again. She looked up at him and their lips met. The kiss turned into a more passionate one and they swam back to the shore.  
The water felt nice on their skin and they stayed in the surf of the lake. Their legs were entangled and hands were roaming over each other's body.  
May pushed Tallis onto his back and straddled his hips becoming very aware of his arousal. She leaned forward and he pulled her into another heated kiss.

When she moved back and sat up for air he immediately moved his hands to her breasts, pinching and massaging them. He remembered from a few days back she enjoy it.  
her breathing became ragged and she started to move on top of him to get some friction. She then moved herself in such a way that he slipped inside of her.  
He pinched her nipples between his thumb and forefinger as she moved on top of him.  
They looked each other straight in the eyes and she let herself fall forward, kissing him again. His hands moved from her breasts to her behind and started to lift her up a bit with each thrust to get more friction.  
He moved up his knees so he could set the pace. This turned out to be his best idea yet.  
May's breathing turned into moans as he moved his hips towards her ass again and again, slamming into her harder and harder.  
'Don't stop' she breathed into his ear.  
The water sloshed around their legs as he kept up the pace she seemed to be enjoying a lot.  
He heard her moans get louder and he breathing more ragged.  
'You're close aren't you , baby' he asked her.  
All she could do was nod her head against his neck in agreement.  
After a few more thrusts he felt her inner walls clench around him. This sent him over the edge as well.

They stayed in the water for a while, catching their breaths and cleaning up before they moved to their shelter for the night.


End file.
